2023-24 Regular Season, Game 6: Hurricanes at Colorado Avalanche (Postgame)

The Hurricanes looked to end the West Coast swing with a tough test against the Colorado Avalanche. Not only were they playing without Sebastian Aho, Frederik Andersen, and Andrei Svechnikov, but it was announced before the game that Brett Pesce wouldn't be available to play either. This made the team return to the 12/6 format, with Callahan Burke making his Hurricanes debut against his former team. Teuvo Teravainen skated in his 600th game in the NHL in Denver, looking to finish this portion of the trip right. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (16:09)- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (3) (assisted by Stefan Noesen (4) & Jack Drury (1))

COL (19:54)- Ryan Johansen (2) PP (assisted by Nathan MacKinnon (3) & Artturi Lehkonen (2))

2nd Period

COL (1:07)- Logan O'Connor (3) SH (assisted by Andrew Cogliano (3)) 

CAR (9:17) Brent Burns (2) PP (assisted by Dmitry Orlov (2) & Stefan Noesen (5))

CAR (10:42)- Michael Bunting (2) (assisted by Martin Necas (4) & Jaccob Slavin (4))

COL (12:21)- Victor Olofsson (1) (assisted by Logan O'Connor (1))

COL (14:10)- Artturi Lehkonen (2) PP (assisted by Ryan Johansen (1) & Cale Makar (3))

COL (15:57)- Nathan MacKinnon (3) (assisted by Artturi Lehkonen (3) & Valeri Nichushkin (3))

COL (19:35)- Mikko Rantanen (4) PP (assisted by Cale Makar (4) & Artturi Lehkonen (4))

3rd Period

CAR (12:26)- Jaccob Slavin (3) (assisted by Jesperi Kotkaniemi (4) & Seth Jarvis (3))

My Thoughts

No Aho. No Pesce. No Svechnikov. No Andersen. No excuses. This team was more than capable of beating the Colorado Avalanche. As has been the case for most of the trip, one bad period was all it took to take them out of the game. It's clear what the team's problem is. I'm not sure if they're capable of fixing it. They haven't proven they can through six games. It's a minor miracle we've started 3-3-0. The penalty kill continues to be an issue, allowing three goals to Colorado's power play. The Hurricanes allowed another short-handed goal. It was a sight to behold. They led the game twice, including more than halfway through the second period. That eight-minute stretch killed them. To Colorado's credit, they took advantage of every small thing the Canes gave them. 

I thought the Hurricanes played a solid first half of the game. They got on the board first, thanks to another great pass by Stefan Noesen to Jesperi Kotkaniemi. It looked like they were going to be rewarded for a good first period by taking the lead into the intermission, but Nathan MacKinnon's pass hit Ryan Johansen's skate and went into the net on the power play with 5.4 seconds left. This was a deflating goal. Even more deflating was the short-handed goal allowed to Logan O'Connor early in the second period. It looked like Tony DeAngelo stopped skating and thought Martin Necas had him. Clearly, he didn't, and it's 2-1 Colorado. The Canes responded well, getting a Brent Burns snipe on the power play and a Michael Bunting rebound goal just under 90 seconds apart to regain a one-goal lead. This is when the game changes. In the final eight minutes of the period, the Hurricanes allowed two more goals on the power play, an easy goal to MacKinnon on a defensive breakdown behind the net, and a 2-on-1 rush that led to another goal. It went from 3-2 Canes to 6-3 Avalanche quickly. Jaccob Slavin got one back in the third period with a wicked clapper, but the comeback bid fell short again, as Colorado remained perfect to start the season. 

I can't give Pyotr Kochetkov too much flack for his start. He allowed a skate goal, a rebound goal through traffic, and a goal through three layers of traffic. Maybe you'd like a stop on the short-handed breakaway, the short-side elevated shot, or the MacKinnon shot where he's all alone at the front of the net, but beggars can't be choosers. It was a rare off night for the top pair in the defensive zone. They were by no means terrible, but they allowed some chances they usually wouldn't. It was also a bad night for the third pair, but that's a more common occurrence this season. DeAngelo was a -2. Orlov turned the puck over behind the net, leading to a goal. Something is clearly off with those two. 

The offense continued to roll. It says something about your defense when you beat a goalie four times, doubling his season total for goals allowed, and you still lose the game. Noesen put together another solid game. Kotkaniemi is still red-hot. Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas extended point streaks. Slavin and Burns scored goals. The Staal line was all over the ice, getting excellent scoring chances. If it's been said once, it's been said a million times. This team's problem is defense. Aho being out of the lineup has done a number on Teuvo Teravainen. Moving him to center in Aho's absence has slowed him down. He has one point in the last three games. He hasn't been bad by any means, but he is stronger with Aho. Hopefully, we see them reunited sooner rather than later. 

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Michael Bunting- Goal

Despite being a -1 for the night, I liked how Bunting played. He scored the go-ahead goal midway through the second period, his first since Opening Night, and finished the game with a team-high five shots. He's been as good as we hoped in his first six games. 

2nd Star- Jesperi Kotkaniemi- Goal, Assist

Dating back to last season, Kotkaniemi has been on an incredible heater. With another two-point performance in Colorado, he's now tied atop the team with Jarvis and Slavin with seven points. He's been the benefactor of a few excellent passes from Noesen on this trip. 

1st Star- Stefan Noesen- 2 Assists

For the first time in his NHL career, Noesen has recorded back-to-back multi-assist games. Known for being a bigger threat on the power play, he's stepped up in the final games of the trip. Along with his two helpers, his net-front presence took the goalie's eyes away during Burns' marker in the second. 

Up Next- The Canes are heading home, only to immediately head back on the road for their next game. The team has made their way back to Raleigh to spend a few days before finishing the road trip in Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. They'll play a back-to-back set at home next Thursday and Friday before trekking again for a few games in the Northeast.